Šomoška Castle is located in southern Slovakia, near the village of Šiatorská Bukovinka in Region Banská Bystrica (Banskobystrický kraj), in Lučenec district.
The castle was built in the 13th century, it was built probably by Illés from the Kacsics family. During the Middle Ages, the castle was owned by several families, e.g. Széchényi, Forgách, Lossonczy. In the Middle Ages it also served as guardian castle, during the Turkish invasion served as a fortress against the Turks. In the 16th century (1576 - 1593) the castle was in the hands of the Turks. In 1703 the uprising of František II Rákoczi against the Habsburgs, who ruled in Kingdom of Hungary, broke out. Kingdom of Hungary (Uhorsko in Slovak) was at that time part of the Habsburg (Austrian) monarchy. After the putting down uprising (1711), the castle was pulled down by the Emperor's army. Since then, the castle is in ruins.
Between years 1971 and 1990 a partial reconstruction and restoration was carried out, which saved the castle from complete break-down. At present, the castle is owned by the municipality of Šiatorská Bukovinka.
Near the castle there are the unique creations of nature stone waterfall and stone sea. It is interesting to note that the basalt pillars, from which the so-called "stone sea" originated in, were used in the construction of Šomoška Castle. You can get to the castle through the nature trail from the village of Šiatorská Bukovinka.
Eastern Tatras (Východné Tatry)